


Five Years

by writerstrash



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame, Endgame, Family, OC, Original Female Character - Freeform, Other, Tony Adopts Another Wayward Teen, alien - Freeform, powers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-03-20 06:25:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18987079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerstrash/pseuds/writerstrash
Summary: Tony meets a young girl aboard Quill's ship as he's dying by Nebula's side. When they are brought to Earth, Tony and Nebula have their own lives to get on with, but she does not. (Just a story about Tony adopting a teenage half-alien girl and bringing her along to live with his family in the cosy lake house)





	1. Where Do We Go, Now That They're Gone?

The water looked like glass. Unmoving. Calm. Emma wished she could feel like this all the time. Sitting under the trees, listening to the chirping of birds, surrounded by silence. A silence created by the Snap. It dulled everything. Half of the population was gone. Dusted.

And everything was too quiet. At least, it was quiet out here. Far from the city and the chaos of the government and civilisation.

From the memories Emma did have from Earth, it was louder. Bustling streets full of cars and horns and sirens and people yelling and laughing and feet stamping against the pavement. But they were just memories. Fuzzy, barely-there memories from what felt like a lifetime ago. Before she had gone up there. Before she had a whole other life. Before any of this.

Reaching a hand out, Emma watched as it shook uncontrollably. That was never going to change. She held her focus on the water, watching as ripples formed around the energy she projected toward it. Soon enough, the waves moved out into the lake, and she pulled had hand back into her lap and watched them travel until they fell back into stillness once again.

"You gotta get a hobby,"

Emma sighed, looking toward the man walking over with his arms folded. Tony was wrapped in a brown cardigan and sweatpants, clearly not in the fashionable mind of the man he used to be. 

"This is a hobby," she shrugged. "I can pass the whole day away like this,"

"I know, and you have," Tony agreed. "Pepper's finishing up lunch, you hungry?"

Emma looked away from him, pulling her legs up to her chest to hug tight.

"Not really," she whispered. "You shouldn't make her cook for me,"

"She doesn't cook for you," Tony shook his head. "She's nesting, you know? I read about it. She's worrying over everyone. Not that she hasn't been doing that for years already. But, you know, little human coming...she's worried about you,"

"You should both worry about the little human," Emma pointed out. "Not the not-so-little alien,"

" _Half-_ alien," Tony corrected. "And we'll worry as much as we want."

Emma laughed, shaking her head.

"Maybe I should have followed Nebula, then you wouldn't have to worry," 

"If you followed the blue meanie around, I think you'd need to be more worried than me," he countered.

"She looked out for me," Emma smiled, thinking. "Not that she would ever admit that,"

"Couldn't agree more,"

They remained in silence for a few more moments before Tony clapped his hands together.

"Alright, food. No arguments," 

"I'm not hungry," 

"I know that's a lie."

"You don't-"

"I just walked into your cabin. I stocked that place a few days ago, and there's not a crumb left."

Emma shook her head, moving to stare back at the water.

"See? I'm not hungry, I ate."

"You have an appetite that could rival Banner, kid," Tony laughed, the joy fading away to reminiscing. 

Banner.  _Kid_. Peter. 

"Just come eat, okay? Otherwise Pepper will literally come out here and drag you inside, and considering she's eight months pregnant, I would really like it if she didn't."

Emma thought for a moment, letting out a soft huff before she turned back to him.

"Don't you ever think that I'll go bad?" she asked, pointing to herself as she moved energy all around her, picking up leaves and shaking the trees. "You know, I've got all of this, and you...you don't even bat an eye,"

"If you wanted to hurt me, or Pepper or Happy, and if you wanted to tear the place down, you would have done it already," he sighed. "Plus, where else are you gonna get your own cabin in the woods, right by my own house where you can re-stock all of those snacks?"

Emma grinned.

"Aren't you worried about the little human? I could hurt a baby just looking at one."

"Nah, I don't think you could," Tony shook his head.

"I definitely could,"

"Look, you've got all the boxes ticked for super villain, right? But you have a heart. A conscience. Empathy. All the big no-nos for villains. Therefore - a good guy."

"A good guy," Emma laughed. "Sure, let's just start our own crime-fighting duo while we're at it,"

God, the attitude of this kid. It wasn't hard to remember that she was half-human. Maybe she had the powers of someone from another planet, but as soon as she opened her mouth, all of that intimidation left. She was just a kid. She reminded Tony so much of Peter. 

The mood swings. The temper. The sulking. She was just a kid.

"Get moving," Tony ordered again. "Oh, and while I'm on the subject of walking into your cabin, mind telling me where you got all those bottles of rum? Are you a pirate?"

Emma sighed.

"I like rum," she admit.

"Where did you get it?"

"Store."

"You're sixteen,"

"On this planet, sure," she shrugged.

"There were three bottles, kid. All empty."

"I never had it before, I got a taste for it," she explained. "It tastes like candy,"

"Candy?"

"We didn't have rum where I was," she huffed. "And it's not like it's a store priority to be checking I.D's these days,"

Tony couldn't argue with that. Well, he could. He very much could. But he wouldn't. Not yet. It had taken almost ten months to get this far with Emma, to gain enough trust for her to feel comfortable here. To feel safe. To feel belonging. He could argue against the bad habits later.

"I'm gonna count down from ten and if you're butt isn't following me into that house then you're in for a world of trouble," Tony warned.

Emma sat for a few seconds to test the man, but she couldn't help the small grin that pulled at her lips. Tony cared. So did Pepper. She knew that. They were helping her, giving her stability and a family she didn't have. And she appreciated it, she really did.

But when you're from another planet, you're never going to fit. Not really.

But soon enough Emma was trailing behind Tony. The man could see her following out the corner of his eyes, and he smirked in triumph. Pepper stood by the porch, leaning against his comfortably as she smiled out at the two walking toward the house.

None of this was a future she imagined for them. It wasn't a future she had imagined at all. But here they were. Alive. Together. A little human on the way and a teenage alien in tow.

The new normal, right?  


	2. Man In A Can

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony meeting Emma aboard the ship.

Tony tried to act as a silent audience to the confrontation before him. Even if he wanted to say something, words were failing him right now. He still had the grey dust of Peter over his hands. His blood was still drying against his clothes. Everything inside him ached, and so did everything on the outside. Tony could barely get over the fact he was floating around in space right now, let alone the fact he was joined by a cyborg and a newly discovered, most likely alien, young girl.

He took a long gulp of water, savouring the liquid in his mouth and letting out a long sigh of relief. He was dehydrated beyond belief. 

They had all disappeared. They were all gone. Peter was gone. Peter was  _gone_.

"What did he tell you? Where's he going?" Nebula asked.

The girl scoffed, folding her arms. She wasn't intimidated by Nebula. In fact, she looked like she could match her in a fight, really. Her black hair fell down near her waist, braided back from her face, ready for battle. A battle she had already been in. Her eyes were darkened with developing bruises, there was blood dripping down from the top of her head, and she had gashes all over her face. But she looked no older than fifteen or sixteen, Tony guessed.

"Right, because in the middle of being kept prisoner by Thanos, he took a moment to sit me down and tell me everything he had planned," the girl bit back. "You know as much as I do."

"I know my sister is dead," Nebula snapped.

"She's not the only one,"

"He has all the stones,"

"Then he got what he wanted, didn't he? And now we're...we have to deal with that,"

Tony looked between the two, wondering if should let his presence be known. 

"What did they do to you?"

"You know what he does,"

"Did he disable your powers?"

"No, but they weren't strong enough. He has those...the pain...I couldn't focus," 

Nebula watched her in silence, knowing exactly what she was referring to. Thanos did not have mercy. She was surprised the girl was still alive at all. Pain was not enough for Thanos, suffering was not good enough. But death was too kind.

"You got away,"

"I got lucky. Thanos had bigger things on his mind."

"I thought you would be dead the moment they got ahold of you,"

"So did I," 

The blue woman stomped off, making her way to the front of the ship to set their course. Tony wasn't too familiar with spaceships, but he knew enough about Earth mechanics to know that this ship wasn't in good form. He would have to take a closer look. But right now he needed to just sit and get himself together. He needed to process what had just happened, and what was about to happen.

But with Nebula occupied, it left Tony and the young girl alone. The young girl who was now staring directly at him, confused.

"You're...human,"

"You're observant," 

"Do you need medical attention?" she asked. "There's a box somewhere around here with a big Red Cross on it. That means it fixes you, doesn't it?"

Tony watched her walk around the room, curious.

"Somewhat," he agreed. 

After a few moments, the girl walked back over to him, dropping the metal box in front of him. Sure enough, it had a big Red Cross stamped on top.

"Do you need help?"

Tony continued to stare up at her, wincing as he lifted his arms back to fold over his chest.

"And who are you? Having trouble keeping up with the alien circus I'm somehow now part of,"

"I'm not an alien," the girl defended. "And we don't call ourselves aliens."

"We? You just said-"

"I'm half-terran," she shrugged. "So I can get pissed when you call us aliens, but not as pissed as I _could_ be,"

Tony smirked, lightly.

"Half-terran? So you're from Earth?"

"Once upon a time, sure," she nodded, leaning down to open the metal box.

"How the hell did you end up here?"

"I could ask you the same," she countered, flipping through plastic packets in search for some cotton swabs.

"I was just following the fight," Tony shrugged. "One I didn't see you at, but now you're here,"

"I was at the fight, just not on your radar,"

"I had everyone on my radar,"

"Apparently not," she grinned. "Don't worry, I'm not easy to pick up,"

"Meaning?"

The girl looked up at him again, raising her hands. Everything in the medical box began to lift into the air around her. Her eyes were completely black now, and Tony found himself jumping back slightly in concern. She looked possessed.

"If you were tracking for signatures, I wouldn't come up," she shrugged. "And I was fighting from the sidelines. Tends to happen when you're a prisoner to a mad man."

Tony's eyes were wide in astonishment. But compared to everything else he had seen that day, this girl wasn't scaring him. 

"So you're a half-human, half-alien...what? What do you call all of that?"

"Fucked up, is what I'd categorise this as," she sighed.

"That works," he shrugged as well. "Alien experiments?"

"Genetics. You understand genetics, right?" she bit sarcastically. "One human father, one not-so-human mother, equals whatever the hell you want to call me."

Tony watched the girl use her power to pull away the material around his wound without touching it, sending it off through the air to land somewhere deserted, heavy with blood. Then she unwrapped a cotton pad soaked in antiseptic, reaching out to press it against his raw wound. He let out a yelp in pain, only just hearing her soft and somewhat half-hearted apology.

"Hold that there," she instructed, unwrapping a dry pad and preparing a bandage. "I think this is how Quill does this. Does...does this look right?"

"Pretty much," Tony panted, trying to ignore the sting. "You next?"

"I don't need this," she shook her head. "Between the two of us, you were more likely to bleed out or get an infection. One less thing to worry about."

"Thoughtful,"

"Realistic."

They fell into silence as she finished wrapping his torso in the bandage, a little too tight for Tony's liking, but effective. She closed the medical box, leaving it by Tony's side as she lifted the water canister and handed it to him once again. She could tell that he needed this.

Tony needed rest. 

"Who are you?"

"Imoh," she told him softly. "But it's easier to just say Emma, so...Emma."

Tony gave a short nod. 

"Tony," he introduced. "Just...just Tony."

 

 


	3. No One Above & No One Below

Emma looked through the thick glass windows, watching as Tony's eyes fluttered closed. They were bloodshot, surrounded by deep purple, sunken in and sickly. She had watched his eyes close like that before, as if they would never open again, surrounded by the black, never-ending nothingness of space. But this time he was surrounded by bedsheets, pillows, medicine, machines - everything he needed to survive and open those eyes once again.

Included the woman he talked about. The woman he was meant to survive for. Pepper Potts.

The woman now walking over to Emma, a gentle smile on her lips. 

"Emma?" she asked, approaching cautiously. "Did you want to go in? He's asleep, but you can sit with him."

"No, that's okay," she shook her head. 

Then Pepper surprised her. Shocked her, really. Her whole body stiffened up as she felt the woman's arms wrap around her body, squeezing her gently and rubbing a hand over her back.

"He told me about you," Pepper explained, pulling back slightly. "Thank you."

"I didn't do anything," Emma denied. 

"You helped him keep going," Pepper insisted. 

"You're the one that kept him going," she argued. "He told us about you everyday. It's...uh, it's nice to meet you,"

Pepper grinned, her hands still on Emma's shoulders.

"I know he'd like it if you went in," Pepper encouraged.

"He needs the rest, and I need to get out of the way," Emma sighed. 

"You're not in the way," Pepper shook her head. "Tony wants you to stay here, and you're more than welcome to. Let us help you."

Emma thought for a moment, shaking her head. She slipped her hands into her pockets and began to step away from the woman. It was better this way. Distance. Separation. They didn't need to be reminded of what they went through up there. Tony didn't need the constant reminder of what he endured and how close to death he came. Neither of them did.

"Just tell him I've gone to pull on some threads, okay?" 

"Emma..."

"And tell him not to worry about me. I haven't been on Earth since I was five years old, so I've got a lot of catching up to do,"

Pepper sighed.

"A lot has changed since you were five,"

"I'm betting on it,"

* * *

They had been packing boxes all morning, filling cardboard with everything they owned, throwing far more belongings than they thought they would. Most of it was useless, anyway. They wanted to get out of the city, to get out of the chaos that the world had become. They had always talked about it, but it never seemed like an option.

Within two months of returning from his almost-death, Tony had grown new perspectives on almost everything. He and Pepper had married, surrounded by the few people they called family, and all they wanted was to spend their lives together peacefully. The Avengers, those who remained, were still trying to hold the world together since the Snap. But Tony couldn't be part of that. He couldn't be by Steve's side, not yet. 

After what he had witnessed up there, after what and who he had lost, all he wanted now was to be with those he loved and could still hold firmly in his grasp. 

The world had changed, people were gone, and there was nothing he could do to change that. At least, that's what he told himself. He couldn't bring them back. He couldn't bring _Peter_ back. And now Thanos and the stones were gone as well. 

With the exception of Rhodey, Tony had lost almost all contact with the Avengers, apart from Natasha who often checked in, but their conversations were brief. Neither of them wanted to reminisce about better times. Everyone had their own missions now. Distractions. 

But Emma was still out there somewhere. Natasha had wanted to recruit her, have her help out with patrolling the rest of the world in the fallout of the Snap, but the young girl didn't want that. Tony had seen her for all of ten minutes after they returned to Earth. Pepper told him that she stopped by when he was recovering, but then she was gone once again. 

Tony often found himself thinking of her. Wondering where she was, what she was doing, who she was with. 

When Pepper told him she was out 'pulling on some threads', Tony knew she was looking for her father. The man she was taken from when she was just five years old. He tried to imagine that she had found him and was living happily for these past two months. But the bad thoughts were haunting him. 

She was just a kid. Dropped back in a world she was a stranger to. 

"Tony? Are you okay?" Pepper asked, walking over to place a hand on his shoulder.

He had been staring out the window silently for twenty minutes now. Thinking.

"I'm good," he gave a nod and a soft smile, leaning into her touch. "Just...looking,"

"Thinking," Pepper corrected. "You know you could check on her,"

"She'll be fine," Tony shrugged, sounding unconvinced. "She wouldn't want me doing that. Come on, I barely know her."

"Well then, you care a lot for someone you barely know," Pepper sighed. 

Tony was silent for a moment. 

"She's just a...a kid," he mumbled. "Same age as..."

Pepper leaned in closer, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder before resting her head against it.

"I know," 

* * *

Emma walked down the street, looking around at the empty stores and abandoned cars. The city was still cleaning up, but people were barely sane enough to get it done. No one could believe what happened. Half of humanity, half of every living being, gone. 

But for the still millions that remained, life had to go on. No matter what. Advertisements still played on billboards, stores still served customers willing to continue on with their life, and the smell of fresh food wafted around as people continued to live. 

As she wandered around, Emma stopped by a restaurant, walking over to the window with wide eyes. A conveyer belt carrying tiny plates, circling a bar of customers. Food? It didn't look like all the other food she saw, and certainly not like the food she remembered. But people were grabbing the plates and eating with smiles on their faces, going back for more and more.

"It's a sushi train," 

Emma turned to the man by her side, instantly recognising Tony Stark hidden behind sunglasses and a hat. He was dressed casually, his arms folded as he watched on with her. She looked back to the restaurant, captivated by the continuously looping track of plates.

"Is it...food?"

Tony's lips quirked into a smile at her confusion.

"Yeah," he answered. "Some people love it, some people hate it. It's seafood."

"Fish?"

"Some of it."

"Why is it moving?"

"People can grab what they want," Tony shrugged. "Do you want some?"

Emma thought for a moment.

"No, it smells funny," she shook her head.

There was a beat of silence between them before Emma turned to him again, folding her arms and matching Tony's stance.

"What are you doing?"

"Going for a walk,"

"You don't walk around here,"

"You do?"

"I think I've done a million laps of this city," Emma sighed. "Haven't seen you around."

"Well, there's a first for everything,"

Emma watched him closely. He looked healthier. Not as close to death. Not as emaciated.

"You look better,"

"Couldn't have looked worse, could I?"

"I've seen worse," she countered. "But you were pretty close,"

Tony smirked.

"Thanks, kid."

After a few more moments of staring, Emma began walking once again. She looked to Tony, gesturing to follow along. They walked in silence, looking around at all of the vacant space and emptiness that was once bustling.

"Pepper said you were pulling on some threads," Tony began. "Did you find him?"

Emma nodded as she walked along, tightening her grip on her arms as they crossed over her chest.

"I talked to his neighbour," she sighed. "I didn't think he would be in the same house...but he was. It looked just like I remembered, too. More trees, longer grass, falling apart in some spots but otherwise, just like I remember it. He even kept the butterfly stickers I put by the mailbox."

Tony knew what was coming. He could hear it in her voice. In her broken, sad voice.

"The Snap...it took him too," she admit, barely a whisper. "So, he's gone."

They stopped walking for a moment, stopping by an empty park. Tony moved her to sit on the dusty bench, reaching up to put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," Tony told her softly.

"He didn't even know I was still looking for him," she shrugged. "He would have gone...thinking that. I don't know why I thought he would be there. There's one person in the universe I want to see, of course he won't be there. And now...I don't know what now."

"Where have you been staying?" Tony asked.

"I haven't been saying anywhere. I just...walk. I tried staying at the house but it was just so cold and I c-couldn't take it,"

Tony scooted closer, wrapping his arm around to her other shoulder, pulling her close to his side.

"You're okay,"

"No I'm not," she shook her head. "I'm not supposed to be here. I have no one here, and no one out there either."

"You have me," he assured. "You have me, kid."

 


	4. Can't Go Back

"Where do you want it?" Emma asked.

Tony would never tire of seeing the abilities of this kid. Emma had her hand stretched out, guiding three large metal blocks in the air, right above the wooden house that was quickly turning into a home. He and Pepper had been living in their renovations for over a month now, far from the city. Emma lived there too, unofficially. She helped them all day with moving and building, ate meals with them, but insisted on leaving at the end of the day.

Although, she didn't go far. Usually a motel on the way back to the city. But Tony had been working on getting her to stay, and Pepper hoped she would agree. The three of them had their routine now, and they both wanted the girl to have a somewhat stable place to live. 

"Little to the left," Tony instructed. "And down...slowly...there!"

"It's stuck," Emma sighed. "Hang on."

Emma lifted the metal once again, using her other hand to push against the wood that was getting in the way. A moment later, it was in it's rightful position. Pepper appeared behind Tony, folding her arms with a smirk.

"So, your 'heavy lifting' is just getting Emma to do it all?" she jabbed.

"Well, it's not  _heavy lifting_ to her," he justified. "It's like Tetris."

"Tetris?" Emma asked, making a face.

"It's a game, you have to fit blocks in together," Tony shook his head. "You'd be good at it, actually."

"Come and get some lunch," Pepper instructed. "It's waiting inside."

Tony gave his wife an appreciative smile, turning to follow her toward the house. Hands linked, they both turned back to look at Emma who was staring out at the lake. They had been doing their best to help support the girl, make her feel welcome, but she was stubborn. She had spent the majority of her life on her own, travelling between different people, never having a real home. 

But this was their reality now. There was no going back. They could only move forward in any way they knew how, and they wanted Emma to do the same. They would never rush her to move on from what happened. It still haunted them every day. Tony barely slept. He could barely speak Peter's name, couldn't recount much of what happened without his heart clenching and his body beginning to shut down in panic.

They got lucky with their second chance, and they had to be grateful for that. 

"Hey, that goes for you too," Tony called out.

"No, you guys go eat," Emma shook her head. 

"Emma, I'm  _enjoying_ cooking actual meals now instead of ordering in or having a bite between meetings," Pepper began. "So there's a lot of food in there, come and eat,"

After a few moments of staring off between the two adults looking back at her, Emma wandered over to follow behind them. She could smell the food inside, wafting through the air and mixing with the fresh air and smell of trees and flowers and dirt. It was possibly the first time Emma felt somewhat at home since she arrived back in Earth. The smell reminded her of her father's house when she was a child. The house that was now empty and rotting away. 

Emma was familiar with this house by now, but she had not spent too much time in one room. Especially the dining room. 

"Take a seat," Pepper instructed.

Emma followed Tony's move, sitting down across from him and eyeing off the glass of brown liquid before her. There were small cubes of ice bobbing around inside, and Emma couldn't help reaching out in front of her to inspect it. Pepper and Tony watched her with an amused smirk.

"This...smells nice," she mused.

"It's iced tea," Pepper explained.

Emma picked the glass up, pulling it to her lips and taking a small sip. Then another. Then a gulp.

"Like that, huh?" Tony laughed.

"We, uh, we don't have that," she explained. "Not up there,"

"Well there's plenty, so drink as much as you'd like,"

And she did. Pepper had to put some bread down on Emma's plate so she would eat something instead of filling up solely on iced tea. But at least she was consuming something. Neither of them knew how she had been surviving on her own during the last month, wandering around towns in the same clothes and barely sleeping. There was so much about this girl that they didn't understand yet. She was half-human, but it was the other half that had them confused. 

These powers she had, although not deemed 'special' on the world she had spent most of her life, were amazing. On a planet that needed all the help it could get right now, Emma would be extremely useful. Natasha had made it clear they could use her help, but Emma was unfazed by joining the never-ending fight once again. Even Rocket had suggested taking her with him while he patrolled the other worlds, taking her somewhere familiar and giving her a purpose during all of this, but the girl didn't want to leave. 

Emma wanted to stay on Earth. She wanted to surround herself with everything she had missed out on. She wanted to learn about the life she could have had here with her father. There was nothing and no one out there in the universe waiting for her. She was just floating here in between worlds. Floating, aimless, just like everyone else left behind. After all, there was no going back. Only forward.

 

 


End file.
